My Everything
by EternalAether
Summary: He could never open up to her, but now he can't even look her in the eyes. Will this loner ever know love again? Set after chapter 8, so spoiler alert for that and anything before. Starring Phog, Hope, Celica and Alexa.
1. All hope is lost

**Xenoblade Chronicles X: The best Wii U game of 2015. I fell in love with this as soon as I started, and I hope that its popularity grows as more people discover this somewhat hidden gem of a game. I decided to write this fanfiction as there are, at present, a mere 12 out there, all of which focus on the main characters. This will focus on some characters that you may not have heard of if you're not too far into the game, so beware of spoilers. Chapter 8 in the game is a doozy, so please don't read if you're not that far yet. Also, as a disclaimer, I do not own Xenoblade Chronicles X.**

 **Note: For the purposes of this fanfiction, the main character of the game will be named Apollo and will be male, simply because this is my avatar. (He will not feature much, however)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: All hope is lost**

The attack had been catastrophic. While not many lives had been lost, those that had been were mourned with utmost sorrow, whilst the once bustling city of NLA lay in ruins, populated now by only the BLADEs who fought in the war. The Ma'non ship carrying the remainder of the citizens had been asked to return, however it would have to travel back from the north-eastern Oblivian skies to which it had fled. All of the soldiers had been called back to the Administrative District so further roles could be assigned; the city cleanup was to start right away, despite the poor weather and encroaching dusk. All except one, that is.

A young man of 24 with long, messy blonde hair and iridescent blue eyes sat on a bench in solitude in the center of the park, staring at his reflection in a muddy puddle on the torn ground and wearing an expression of pure woe and self-hatred. His black BLADE uniform clung to him thanks to the storm, making him physically uncomfortable as well, but he did not move for shelter. After a long and deep sigh, a sudden blue flame sparked in his eyes and he stomped into his reflection, shattering it across the mirror dimension, wishing the same to occur to his real yet synthetic body.

Some time passed as he just stood there in the puddle, letting the water seep into his worn and oil-splattered boots. Eventually, he saw people begin to file into the residential district, causing him to look at his comm device and see his mission: clear the city of bodies and ganglion remains. Another sigh followed this, but as he moved to leave, a gentle yet firm voice stopped him.

"Phog," a woman said from behind him. He didn't have to turn to know it wasn't just some concerned citizen standing there; it was her. The one woman who had believed in him, the one woman who had told him that he could see the world, the one woman he now couldn't look in the eyes. He ran off, knowing that she wouldn't follow.

"Please, open up to me for once," Hope said in a whisper, with tears in her violet eyes, mixing with raindrops and sliding off onto her now ruined brown clothing. She didn't know what she had hoped for. Why would he now talk about his feelings when they had always been bottled up inside before? It was stupid, and she couldn't even follow for fear of him hating her.

For she was the one woman who ever loved him.

* * *

 **Since this is a new game, I'm not expecting many people to see this, but please do leave a review if you liked it! More is on the way soon! (-;**


	2. Gone forever

**So what actually happened in that fateful night?**

 **Chapter 2: Gone Forever**

* * *

It had been two days since the attack, and rebuilding was well underway. Many BLADEs were still celebrating the repelling of the ganglion, and loud parties thrust pounding music into the silent night air in a bid to dispel the memory of their fallen comrades. That memory, however, sat heavily on Phog's shoulders.

His face was wet from tears as he sat on the edge of his bed, the sheets now a crumpled mess on the floor. He looked paler, sicklier than ever. No one but Hope had noticed his disappearance from society, let alone come to his door. The mediator had been met with a silent, unwavering black door every time, and every time she rang, the doorbell and any other slight noises in the house would shake the traumatised young man to the core. The memory of it played in his head, over and over; he would be sick and not realise until after his fit of anxiety, and he hadn't even eaten anything yet.

* * *

It had been towards the start of the battle. Phog was to guard the Outfitters testing area, and to both his dismay and jubilation, his brother Frye also too up that post, albeit ignoring him as usual, refusing to accept him as part of the family. A woman with short brown hair and gorgeous eyes walked up to him, wondering why one of the soldiers was staring in a trance at one of their captains.

"Hey! Wake up! We are under attack here, you know!" she shouted a bit brusquely at him, shaking him out of the daydream.

"Oh… sorry, just lost in though. Er… don't mind me!" he said quickly before turning away, not wanting to speak to a stranger for any length of time.

"Weirdo…" she muttered under her breath as she walked away. Just then, there was an explosion, and the entire building shook to its foundations.

"Battle stations!" Phog heard someone shout and he rushed to grab his guns from his back. Loading the weapons and muttering annoyedly about his discomfort for battling, he stood with the troops and began to fire on the ganglion that now poured into the room. Shots rang out from both sides, as did the screams of many dying men. Blood splattered the walls and floor, painting the once silver room red.

Phog crouched behind a crate in a sniper position, firing at will at any ganglion mech that came close. The intriguing anatomy of these biomechanics was what he chose to focus onto keep his mind far from panicking, but he quickly replaced this with something more militant out of nature; all his life he had been dissuaded from the path of engineering, and he resolved to keep it that way on Mira, vowing to become a better BLADE for his brother to be proud of.

The BLADEs in the hangar slowly but surely began to gain ground, pushing back the vicious qmoevas trying to get in through the narrow entrance. The morale amongst the soldiers began to rise; those who had fallen but not passed away were getting back up, despite their injuries, in a bid to turn the tables fully.

Gaining some bravery from this surge of apparent victory amongst the BLADEs, Phog rose from behind his crate and took a more active battle position, albeit on the back line. His hair was ashen and clothes torn, but the thrill of battle was raging inside his heart, and in that moment, he was one with the soldiers: he was what his family had always tried to force him to be. And maybe, just maybe, in that single moment, he loved it. Then as quickly as it came, the moment was gone.

A giant queen qmoeva smashed through the small entrance, knocking down a dozen soldiers in its destructive wake. No fire came from its menacing turrets, however. The monstrosity barged into the room under heavy fire, but did not fight back, nor did it seem to be affected by said gunfire at all. The other enemies pulled back, and a sense of unease rippled through the previously powerful human forces.

The robotic demon glowed red. The firing stopped. The world fell silent. Phog stood in shock, knowing what was to become of him and his comrades. He was knocked down by a sudden weight on his right side. His head hit the floor as the qmoeva exploded.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was his brother's burning body atop him, having shielded him from the blast.

And once a mimeosome was burned, there was no way to revive it. Frye was gone. He could have saved himself. But now, Phog was the one survivor of a whole squadron, and entire family of BLADEs.

He had later woken up with the woman from before the fight shaking him awake. He ignored her, getting up despite his terrible injuries. He had wandered the rain-swept streets for hours afterwards, only returning home when he saw her. The one woman he had wanted to get stronger for.

* * *

The white wall of his apartment stared at him throughout his panic attack, did not flinch when he pounded upon it with the force of a raging grex, did not speak when he rested his head softly upon it with the innocence of a newborn child. The doorbell rang again, but this time, the door was forced open upon his absent reply.

"Hellooooo?!" came a voice that lacked any of the daintiness that Hope's bore. His bedroom door opened more gently, and Alexa walked in to see her fellow BLADE curled up in a foetal position on his bed. "Figured you'd be pretty messed up after what happened back there. Saw what happened from behind a skell; it shielded me from the blast, although I think you and I were the only lucky ones. If you can even call us that, that is."

From Phog came no reply but a whimper that would have brought the toughest soldier to tears, seeing the pitiful sight before them. "Look, I…" she began but then trailed off, and silently walked over to sit beside him. She could tell he was at breaking point; heck, she didn't even know his name and yet, she still wanted to take care of him. There was something broken inside him, and though matters of the heart were so much harder to fix than those of the mind, she resolved to help this person find hope again.

Not knowing how he would react, she moved to put her arms around him, and to her delight, he responded, curling up in her arms. He fell asleep for the first time in two days, tearlessly drifting off to a dreamless rest.

When Hope stopped by a while later, she uttered wordless thanks to the skell enthusiast, who had met the mediator many times before in town. Hope took over the watch over Phog, and couldn't help but feel glee when he snuggled up to her. Alexa left, vowing to come back with food for the starved-looking soldier. She smiled a sad smile, still remembering the promise she had made to her team mate who ended up being Phog's saviour. _If I am ever downed in battle, keep my brother safe, okay? Make sure he finds his own path, whatever that may be._

After all, Frye had never stopped loving him, had he?

* * *

 **Hope this was okay; I kind of suck at battle sequences! See you all at chapter 3! (-;**


	3. Family

**Chapter 3 – Family**

* * *

Phog awoke to the scent of Primordian perfume on the shoulder where his head lay. Strange, he thought. This was not his usual wakeup sight; his usually wild bedhead had not strayed from its usual style and spilled over in front of his eyes, as if he had actually gone a night without tireless rest. The brown cloth beneath him moved slightly, jogging him to a more awake state, where he immediately recognised the mediator's garment.

It all came back at once: how he had cried to sleep in the arms of the new outfitter at the hangar, too emotionally delirious to recognise the social unacceptability of it all. How he had been saved from his now permanently deceased brother without even saying goodbye. The second of his two recollections brought him to tears once again, but logic took hold this time and reminded him of whose shoulder he currently was upon.

Hope stirred and her violet eyes opened like blooming flowers, seemingly filling his vision as he looked up, inadvertently meeting her intoxicating gaze. All inhibitions of the night of the attack had vanished; his emotional state was now one of stripped-back innocence, and he could only cling to her now, unable to force words out of his half-open lips. She smiled, gently raising him up off of her and into a sitting position where he sat in bewildered paralysation.

"How do you feel? Alexa's coming round later with some food for you, and I heard her cooking skills are second only to Lin's!" Hope said enthusiastically, trying to lighten the now awkward-becoming mood. Phog only sighed, resting his head in his hands and allowing his fringe to flop before his eyes again. Hope steeled herself, preparing to say what must be said as she turned him to face her and pushed the hair back once more.

"He was your brother, wasn't he?"

Phog's sleep-clouded eyes shot open, his hands groping at the sheets to hold himself steady. How could she know? This was one of his only secrets, and he took so much care to keep it locked away! His mouth opened fully to speak, and yet, still no sound would come out.

"It was obvious how you looked at him like he was some kind of superman. Alexa, the outfitter from before, also knew. Frye asked her as a trusted soldier of his to look after you if harm would ever befall you. Look at me, Phog. He didn't hate you, and you didn't hate him, but you already know that. So please, believe it for me, okay?"

"Thank… you…" he spoke in a shattered croak, splintered from his fasting over the past few days. Her eyes grew brighter somehow, her lips forming a perfect smile that bore no blemishes in his eyes. She leant forward as if to bestow her lips to him, then caught herself and stood up abruptly.

"Don't speak until you've got some food and water down you," she began, "I'm not about to let you die after all this. So drink." She thrust a glass of water at him, to which he responded graciously, gulping down the liquid with a vigour that had previously left his hollow bones. He was then presented with a cracker, which he gulped down as if he were a grex.

"As I said, Alexa's going to stop by later to stock up your seemingly empty fridge, and then you should be back on track. You… want to talk about what happened?"

"I'm sorry," he began quietly, "It's not fair of me to dump this all on you. I'm the one who ended my brother's life, not you."

"Don't speak like that!" Hope snapped uncharacteristically. "He died to protect you, yes, but it was so you could live and become a great man, like we shall remember him to have been! We've all lost family at some point in all of this, from the thugs on the street to Secretary Nagi. Now we are going to get you patched up and back onto the battlefield as soon as possible. And I am going to join you."

"What? You hate to fight, and I only do so because I'm told to. I don't see how this is a good idea at all!"

"The fact of the matter is, we lost good fighters in that battle, and New LA can survive without us here, but it needs us out there to protect the walls. I'm not asking you to storm a prone base, but we need to make ourselves useful, and the interceptors need help right now. This won't be a permanent switch, but a few other mediators and I are switching to more combat-orientated divisions and leaving the mediation to citizen volunteers. You are going to as well, doctor's orders. I'm not having you moping around here all depressed while I'm out fighting monsters in the middle of nowhere," Hope said sternly. It hurt her to see him in such a pitiful state, but her mind told her that tough love would be the best thing for him right now.

"But… but…" he whined like a child not wanting to go to bed.

"No buts. Get yourself ready to go while I fetch my weapons. And don't give me that look; this is really happening, and I won't pretend I'm not scared, but you need to man up. If not for me, then for him."

Unable to help herself, she planted a small kiss on his forehead before moving briskly from the room, leaving him in a confused but overall better state. He smiled for the second time that day, and it felt good. Perhaps he should try doing so more often.

* * *

Alexa and Hope met Phog at the city's east gate, where he and the skell enthusiast properly introduced themselves to one another. He noticed Alexa's unusual combination of weapons immediately; a silver javelin and large assault rifle, both weapons designed for reach and range. Hope bore a wicked-looking knife and crimson psycho launchers, contrasting with her dainty appearance strikingly. She actually looked quite menacing with the deadly devices by her side, but her usual smile still instilled warmth in his heart when he looked her way.

Phog used standard dual guns and dual swords to fight, though their inferior designs had nothing on the near-legendary Elma's. Her team had been beating xenos left and right lately, but they could only be in one place at once, which is why interceptor demand still ran rampant. He couldn't help but wonder if humanity would even be around should they have fallen in the battle of NLA.

"Okay, so now we're all here, allow me to brief you on the mission," Hope cut into Phog's daydreams. "There's a rampant white progen attacking the base camp on Sylvalum's southern shores. I hesitate to say beach, because that could man anywhere in the region."

"A progen?!" Phog exclaimed unusually loudly. "You mean those sleep-inducing death unicorns?!"

"We can do this. They wouldn't have assigned us the mission if they didn't believe that," Alexa said confidently. She was worried too, but didn't want to induce a panic attack in her temperamental friend.

With a tense nod from Phog after a moment's hesitation, they set out in silence to the helicopter that sat parked next to the city, fuelled up and ready to go. A lepyx sniffed at the tail of it, but Hope calmly shooed it away, to which it snorted and retreated slowly. The blades whirred, and within an hour, they could see the crystalline fjords of Sylvalum beneath them. Sand and some unfortunate unafulges were blown back as the helicopter's feet touched down.

Alexa got out first, signalling a clear coast so that the other two could exit. They began sprinting towards the nearby basecamp, which to their dismay was in ruins. The door of the main tent opened as they drew near, and a terrified yet unharmed male BLADE tentatively walked out.

"You… you came to rescue us?" he asked in a near-silent tone.

"Yes," Alexa said with a smile, happy to see survivors. Then she noticed something. Inside the tent, five more BLADEs could be seen, all unharmed, which would have meant that no one was dead or even hurt. They all looked shell-shocked, however, and the camp was in ruins.

Hope noticed too, and asked sceptically "What happened here?"

The BLADE hesitated, something that did not go unmissed by any of the three rescuers. "You see," he began, "the thing did attack, but it completely ignored us, even when we hit it with everything we had. It had only destruction in mind, and once it had obviously not found whatever it was searching for, it galloped away into those mountains." He gestured towards some fjords not too far away, where some oc-servs floated menacingly over the crystal. Phog gulped at the sight.

"We'll find it and get to the bottom of this, I promise," Hope said. "I'd rather not have to hurt the creature myself, so perhaps we'd be able to help it some way." Alexa gave her an odd look but said nothing out loud, choosing only to mumble " _pacifists…"_ under her breath.

"Shall we go then; I want to leave as soon as possible. I'm already cold!" Phog said with a slight shiver. His companions nodded, and they set off towards the rocks, leaving the still scared BLADEs to tidy up the remnants of their camp.

* * *

Halfway up the mountain, having dodged an unusual number of biomechanical monstrosities on the way, the newly initiated interceptors heard a cry resembling a horse in distress, if that horse were the size of a skell. Phog gave a nod to his companions, to which they all set off in a sprint, heading through an archway into a mountain plateau that housed a distressing scene. Three young progen stood in captivity of a couple of puges, whilst in front of them, an oc-serv was fighting a white progen that didn't seem to be winning the fight.

"What do we do? Can we even interfere in such a situation?" Alexa asked.

"Of course we can intervene!" Hope said forcefully, holding back a shout for fear of them being alerted to their presence. "Those monsters have kidnapped those foals! That's why the progen was on a rampage! She was only searching for her kids!"

"Well I don't mean to be a downer, but I think they just chose for us…" Phog said nervously as the two puges advanced on the group. The young progen, cornered where they were, did not move, watching in horror as their mother bravely fought in vain for their lives.

Gunshots rang out over the Sylvalium mountaintops as the brawl began. Hope and Phog drew back, firing on the mechanical monstrosities with their respective weapons, whilst Alexa expertly dodged their bullet fire and, drawing her javelin, drew in close to fight them head on. Seeing an opening, Phog steeled himself and sprang out form behind the boulder and slashing at the incoming puge with his dual blades.

One of the robot's arms flew off onto the sand, then the other one followed as Hope appeared from nowhere, slashing with deadly precision. Unarmed, the thing was left utterly defenceless as they stabbed its core simultaneously, sending it reeling and deactivating it for good.

Alexa meanwhile was gaining ground on her puge, using both her gun and javelin to parry the blade strikes. She stabbed it in the leg, causing it to fall before her, where it was impaled upon the long, wicked weapon. With both puges downed, the BLADEs turned their attention to the oc-serv, which still battle the progen. To their horror, it suddenly unleashed a red beam of light which hit the horse's side, sending it reeling in terror. Its childrens' cries spurred it on, however, and it stabbed with brutal force through the robot's lower guns, disabling the oncoming onslaught. This left the horse temporarily off-guard, however, and the oc-serv moved to strike it head on with another laser.

Without thinking, Phog let out a battle cry and surged forward, seeing red as he slashed both of the machine's arms off. Hope re-activated her psycho-launchers and Alexa targeted with her gun, but they were in vain, for Phog was already tearing the thing in half, sending sparks flying in all directions. He drew back as the progen rushed forward, striking the biomechanical creature dead with a now lightning-imbued horn attack and ending the fight.

Phog stared at his hands, now out of the blood rage. He didn't even notice the giant unicorn rush past him to greet its young, and only snapped out of his daze when embrace by Hope.

"Thank you for saving them. If not for you, another family would have been ruptured by the aliens. How… how did you do that?" Hope asked softly.

"I… don't know," Phog said, unsure of his words. "I guess… I just know what it's like to lose family, and end up lonely. I don't know what came over me, but I guess I knew what needed to be one, and my body just executed it for me."

"It was friggin' awesome, that's what it was!" Alexa exclaimed suddenly.

"Yes. Yes it was," Hope said gently, kissing her crush briefly on the forehead, so lightly that she didn't think he'd notice. Phog smiled to himself, knowing he had found his new family, for better or worse.

Alexa stiffened and notified the others when the progen family approached them once more, scrutinising the humans through cyan eyes. They froze, not knowing whether or not they would be friendly. To their surprise, the mother lent down and rather than impaling Hope, she brushed her nose gently against her hand. The ex-mediator responded nervously, but then couldn't stop herself from hugging the creature's horn, a childhood dream of unicorns having come true.

A terrible noise then echoed around the plateau, and they all turned to see a dozen more oc-servs flying over the crystal. The mother neighed a command to her children, who rushed out from behind her and lowered themselves down before the terrified humans. A gentler sound from the progen snapped Hope out of her daze, and she realised immediately what the xenoforms were proposing.

"I think they want us to get on," Hope said quickly, glancing to the advancing robots.

"Well they're hardly skells, but I don't think I can really be picky. You in, Phog?" Alexa asked.

Phog nodded and gently mounted the silvery beauty of a creature. The others got on as well, but then the firing started, and the young ones began rocking in distress. Just before they were annihilated, the mother did the unexpected. Letting out an almighty noise, she emitted a silver glow from her wings, allowing them to unfold outwards until they had extended to near double the length of the legs. This calmed the foals, who did the same, and the BLADEs could only hold on for dear life as the progens carried them at brilliant speeds away from the slow oc-servs and into the aurora-illuminated sky.

"Since when could they do that?!" Alexa shouted into the wind.

Instead of answering, Hope turned to the mother, who flapped its wings whilst galloping on thin air with its legs beside her foal, which was around the size of an earth horse. "You're no normal white progen, are you?" she said.

The Pegasus-like creature neighed indignantly, and they all laughed into the sky as the light of New LA came into view below. The interceptors were still rather shocked at how intelligent the progens had turned out to be, so much so that Hope wondered if classifying these ones as a separate species would be in order.

Unfortunately, they were enjoying the night air so much that they didn't notice their incoming landing, so when the residential district's streets came into view, it was too late to stop. Four deadly beasts from Sylvalum crashed down onto the road, narrowly missing a car that swerved into a nearby garden.

"Help us all," has all Hope could say, staring in horror at the approaching troops. The BLADE army faltered when they saw the riders, who quickly dismounted and explained the situation. The progens stood patiently to the side as Hope liased with Nagi, all the while instilling terror in a number of nearby soldiers. The secretary general eventually seemed to give in, and Hope walked back over to Phog and Alexa by the progens.

"We'd be happy to have you in New LA, seeing as you seem able to understand me," said Hope to the mother progen. She nodded then snorted, which Hope chose to interpret as a positive thing. As the new interceptor team led their new indigenous friends over to the hangar, Commander Vandham approached Nagi with a grin on his face.

"Never thought I'd see the day, eh? When we were getting along with this godforsaken planet's wildlife. Who knows what other unusually intelligent creatures are out there?" Vandham waffled excitedly.

Nagi offered no reply, sighing as he thought of the intense paperwork that would inevitably follow this unusual event.

* * *

 **Wow, that ended up long!** **Hope any and all readers enjoyed, and see you next time! As always, reviews in whatever shape or form are appreciated! (-;**


	4. Lost in your eyes

**Hi guys! Just as a quick author's note, events in the game's storyline may or may not happen in this fanfic, and they will probably do so as I complete them in-game. This chapter takes place after the game's chapter 9, however any reference to said chapter's events will be minimal as they bear little relevance to the characters in this story.**

 **Chapter 4 – Lost in your eyes**

* * *

Five days had passed since the progens had made their residence in the city of New LA, and despite some… mixed reactions from the human residents, their presence was definitely welcome overall, as their superior strength allowed them to guard the Primordian borders of the city with ease, lightening the load of the BLADEs.

Meanwhile, Phog and his companions had been on three successful missions in the time, dealing with rowdy indigens and fixing probes that ended up disturbed, often by the colossal footprints of the dinosaur-like creatures that spanned horizons on the green continent. On the sixth day, Alexa had an outfitter job to take care of in the industrial district, leaving Hope and Phog to take down a tyrant by the name of Valentina, the Spectral Faerie, who was located in deep Noctilum.

"Are you sure we're up to this? We've only really just started going after these things," Phog asked his companion as they wandered along tree roots that would put the sequoias of the USA to shame.

Hope frowned. "We have to try. We were chosen for a reason, you know. The others who went to fight her came back with memory loss of the fight, so the higher-ups don't think she's a combatant indigen, and since we connected with those progens, we were chose for this one."

"We don't _know_ that she can't – or won't – fight, only that her opponents return unharmed. For all we know, they could be changelings! We only know about her from a brief probe photo, but seriously, this could be another one of the ganglion's tricks," Phog said warily, quietening his voice to account for the nearby mortifoles scuttling through a nearby thicket.

"I said that, but it turns out they are exactly who they say they are. There's no evidence of mind-manipulation, either. Oh, here we are now. This glade is where Valentina's supposed to be."

The pair walked with unease through the gorgeous grove, poised to draw their weapons at any moment. Sickly-sweet smelling flowers ghosted around their boots whilst shafts of sunlight tickled their irises and scattered rainbows across the verdant viridian leaves. The brightness intensified, causing the BLADEs to shield their eyes to avoid the dazzling gleam. When they reopened their eyes, they found that they were alone no more.

The figure of a woman floated before them, emitting a golden glow that lit up the glade as if it were heaven itself. Her green-tinted skin wore an embroidered, jewel-laden dress that blew in the slight breeze that sent the flowers dancing. She wore jewellery on each hand and across her petite face, and her shoes were similarly crystalline. Atop her head was a crown of old, and across her face were gorgeously painted blue lines that encircled her entirely black eyes.

"More humans?" she asked herself in a dignified yet somewhat accented voice. "Have you come to claim my head as well?"

"No!" Hope said quickly. "We just want to know more about you; if you don't wish to fight, then perhaps we can form some kind of alliance with your… kind."

"I'm afraid my 'kind' is history now; I was once a queen, but am now a forgotten legend. It is true that I do not wish to fight, but I am afraid that I cannot allow your kind to know of my presence here. A simple slip of the tongue mid-battle would be all the ganglion need to detect my being here."

Phog chose to speak up, gaining confidence now that he knew he wouldn't have to fight. "But we have evidence of your existence in Noctilum. Despite your memory tricks, we know you're here from the pictures our probe took of you."

The faerie made a disgruntled noise. "Then might I employ you to destroy this evidence and then allow me to wipe your minds? It sounds unreasonable, but I'm afraid that the ganglion would surely move to wipe me out if they knew of my presence here. They killed my people as our magic frightened them, and I know that I wouldn't be able to hold them off forever."

"I… can't do that," Hope said solemnly. "I'm sorry about your people; I know how it feels to lose your family. But we can offer you asylum in New LA. Believe me when I say this: the humans will beat those monsters, for the whole galaxy's sake."

The faerie seemed to grin somewhat, though the expression looked strange on her ethereal countenance. "I knew I liked you," said the faerie slyly. "Perhaps a… test is in order, as is always the way of our people."

Phog frowned, alert again and ready to draw his blades. Hope also stiffened, but didn't break eye contact. "What kind of test are you proposing?" she asked suspiciously.

Phog brushed some stray hair from his face, it having blown erratically in the wind. His eyes were narrowed behind his fringe, completely untrusting of the faerie before him. "Yes, we would like to avoid conflict, if it's all the same," he said, sounding stronger than he felt. His nerves rippled beneath his synthetic skin, sending fear and exhilaration through his body. Was he to fight again? If so, he would be ready this time. Determination blazed in his eyes, to protect not only himself but also Hope, his treasured companion. Without her, he would never have escaped that darkness.

Valentina's voice shook him from his thoughts. "This shall be more of an… intellectual test, if anything. My magic would bring much power to your city, and as such, it must be earned in a similarly grand way. Now children, look into my eyes and see the truth that lies beyond their horizons.

Warily, the pair gazed into the black voids on her painted face, and the world was consumed by their darkness the second they did.

"Let the test begin."

* * *

White spread out in all directions, a void of nothingness in which the only things in existence were the two mimeosomes standing on the empty plain. They faced away from one another, their weapons now gone. Their hands were in one another's behind their backs, shivering out of fear and a suppressed anticipation. They opened their mouths to speak in tandem, but their lips did not obey.

The floor glowed, and the white became whiter. Rose petals erupted from around them, as if the ground where they stood was crying tears of blood. Then came the chains. They struck out from the floor and bound the two individuals tightly to one another, back to back. Finding the will to move, they struggled, yet the cold grey metal only tightened on their skin, leaving dirty bronze marks of rust as they slid over the synthetic flesh.

Eyes widening, they only struggled further, but no avail was obtained. Then the floor shimmered and rippled, and the pair began to sink. Forcing muffled sounds from their throats as if gagged, their thoughts of terror resonated through their convulsing bodies and made the chains hold them tighter, squeezing the life from their bones.

Halfway sunk into the floor, Hope felt something brush her fingertips, and then felt Phog's hand take her own, it having been removed when the chains hit. They grasped one another firmly, and slowly began to stop struggling. Phog could feel Hope's tears as she sank into stillness; his own seemed ready to flow and yet, none would come.

A spark of logic erupted in the engineer's mind, and, taking care not to lose the feeling of Hope's hand in his own, relaxed his body and allowed the chains to slide off. To his delight, they fell away completely, and the brightness blinded them for a moment only for them to be left standing once again on the white plain.

Words fell from Hope's lips the second time she tried to produce them. "We're alive," was all she could utter, tears still falling. "I thought she was going to kill us. Phog, you… you saved my life."

"I… I couldn't have done it if you hadn't helped me in the past. Because of you, I knew that I couldn't just shy away from my problems. I have to approach them calmly and sort them out. You saved us Hope, not me."

She couldn't offer a reply before the next test began. Wolves as white as the landscape prowled around them, ready to strike. Lips sealed once more to their great annoyance, the pair stood weaponless together amidst the pack that would surely end their lives in a few seconds. One wolf dove for them, biting and clawing viciously.

The others followed suit, scratching and gnashing and mauling and breaking. But the pair didn't move. Their skin tore, their clothes ripped. Eyes closed, they accepted their fate, hand in hand, facing one another now.

Hope opened her eyes, and saw Phog standing before her, unharmed. He returned the smile that painted her face, his hands still connected with hers.

"The test is at its final stage now," said Valentina, who now floated beside them. Had she been here the entire time? "The two of you must show me that you are not afraid, not from physical harm, but from emotional exposure."

"What do you mean? Is this like truth or dare?" Phog asked innocently.

"I know not of this 'truth or dare' you speak of. No, what I am talking about is the externalisation of your deepest kept secrets and feelings. If you wish to leave this sacred ground, share the exchange that lies deepest within your hearts. Between two faces, a sharing of souls that can never be reversed, the true expression of the strongest emotion."

Hope's heart began to race. Surely she didn't mean _that_! Her deep-seated desire: to claim the lips of the innocent soul before her, the icy hero that could either be as strong as diamond or shatter into pieces at any moment. Knowing what she would have to do, she closed her eyes and prepared to kiss him, if only for this creature's sick ritual or amusement. Perhaps he would forgive her for stealing his first kiss, or maybe he would be disgusted at her forwardness. There was no way he would ever love her, after all. Hope leaned forward, pushing her terrible thoughts from her mind.

Phog brushed aside a stray lock of hair from Hope's face, then he stepped forward and kissed the woman he had loved since the first moment their eyes met. Their lips met with passion and longing, hearts dancing inside their chests. Finally pulling away, all Phog could see were those violet eyes, gazing into his own with a feeling that she had never fully known what to think of until now.

The familiar glade appeared around them as they leant in to kiss again, words lost on their longing lips. The faerie watching this exchange finally pulled them apart gently, and smiled. After scouring the galaxy, she had finally found a race of being that could exercise restraint, be rid of fear and embrace love.

In a few hours, the trio had returned to New LA, where after some further explanations, Phog and Hope retired to his apartment, where they never let go of one all through the night, sleeping at peace in each other's arms.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! Btw, I'll add Celica into this story as stated in the description after I have unlocked her as character; I am not yet level 44 so I can't do it yet. Also, this chapter takes references from both the faerie queen in the Mortal Instruments (City of Ashes) and the anime Mawaru Penguindrum, both of which I really recommend. See you next time! (-;**


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